AS Monaco extended their unbeaten run in Ligue 1 with a convincing 3-1 victory over Le Havre on Sunday, with Nigerian youngster George Ilenikhena playing a key role. The win maintains Monaco's strong start to the season and marks their fourth victory in five games across all competitions.
Fresh off an impressive performance in Monaco's 2-1 UEFA Champions League win over Barcelona, Ilenikhena was named in the starting lineup by manager Adi Hütter. The Super Eagles-eligible forward didn’t disappoint, contributing an assist as Monaco secured three points at home.
Monaco opened the scoring in the first half when Takumi Minamino delivered a clever pass to Jordan Teze, who calmly slotted the ball past the Le Havre goalkeeper. However, the visitors responded in the 30th minute through Daler Kuzyaev, who finished well to bring the game level at 1-1 by halftime.
In the second half, Monaco regained the lead. Eliesse Ben Seghir took advantage of a precise through ball from Wilfried Singo, unleashing a powerful strike into the right corner of the net to make it 2-1.
George Ilenikhena’s performance
Ilenikhena then made his mark on the game with a decisive assist. The Nigerian forward showed great awareness to find Folarin Balogun inside the penalty box, who calmly finished to seal the victory at 3-1.
The Lagos-born forward played 87 minutes and provided the crucial assist for Monaco’s third goal. His involvement was consistent throughout, registering two shots off target and creating one big chance. He had 19 touches, completed 9 out of 13 passes (69% accuracy), and won 5 of his 7 duels. Ilenikhena was fouled twice and caught offside once.
With this win, AS Monaco continues their perfect start to the new season, while Ilenikhena’s strong form adds to the club’s promising title campaign.
